Nominate An Educator

Each year, we invite all NEA state, federal, and direct affiliates to nominate one outstanding educator for the NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. These prestigious awards recognize, reward, and promote excellence in teaching and advocacy for the profession. They also honor public education and the dedicated members of the National Education Association.

Grantees

To increase the reading proficiency of
underperforming and special education students, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Kinsinger
will expand the “System 44 Reading” program. Through the program, students will be exposed
to small group instruction, independent reading ... more »

Mrs. Robinson and her colleagues will
introduce learning activities that pair students with autism with basic
education students. The project will
serve to enhance academic learning and communication and social skills for both
groups. Students will gain a ... more »

Special education teachers will use
iPads to increase student learning and collaboration among educators. Through a hands-on approach to community
based learning, educators will present practical lessons on social and
communication skills. Students will
additionally ... more »

Through the “Science is Real Life”
project, Ms. Arellano and her colleagues will bring grade level standards to
life by introducing students to the Los Angeles Conservation Corp’s Sea
Lab. Students will see the water cycle
in action through direct ... more »

Mrs. Feldt, Mrs. Cannon, and a team of
colleagues will strengthen math lessons by teaching the “Han-5 System of
Mathematics,” a program with differing strategies for visual, kinesthetic, and
auditory learners to master basic math concepts. Students will learn ... more »

Second grade teachers at Liberty
Elementary School will expose students to interactive hands-on visual projects
to improve student understanding of the school’s comprehensive language arts
program. Educators will create and
provide interactive vocabulary ... more »

To improve student reading and writing
proficiency, educators at Bartlett High School and its feeder elementary and
middle schools will implement the “Step Up to Writing” program as a school wide
initiative. The cohesive writing program
will provide students ... more »

To spark student interest in science,
technology, engineering, and math, Mrs. Loper and Ms. Williams will introduce
“Pathway to STEM,” a hands-on technology project. The project will combine local and state
standards from all core content areas to ... more »

Through
Bringing Everyone Together with
Technology, Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Johnson will emphasize language
acquisition and increased cultural awareness in their students. Educators will
infuse 21st century skills throughout the curriculum by incorporating relevance
and ... more »

Note: Leslie Chekin also received a Student Achievement Grant in Winter 2014 to continue the "Theatre Without Borders" program. Watch the video above to see how the program has changed the lives of students.

Mrs.
Carpenter and Mr. Siner will implement the Salon approach to teaching English
language learners, in which educators will teach critical theory to students to
guide student discussion about text. Educators will teach in a way that
utilizes an informal approach to ... more »

To
address the need for student improvement in science, language arts, and
mathematics, a team of educators at Forest City Regional Elementary School will
enhance their students’ 21st century learning environment by incorporating
tablets into every classroom. This ... more »

Mrs.
Macrory and Mrs. Wolf will create the Cheyenne
Outdoor Exploratorium. This learning station will provide an environment where
students will conduct experiments and complete research and field studies. The
station will be composed of gardens, a greenhouse, alluvial ... more »

Mr.
Kurtz-Nicholl and Mrs. Yurkovich will lead the implementation of iClickers in
social studies classrooms at AC Reynolds High School. Educators will build
learning communities that focus on common assessments, essential questions, and
ways to compare classes. ... more »

Ms.
Fish and Mrs. Mahone will promote 21st century data collection and learning in
early childhood classrooms at Brentwood Elementary. The team will utilize
electronic portfolios and real time photographic and video recordings of
student learning to promote both data ... more »

Dr.
Rozalski and Mr. Miller will work with a team of educators to collect, review,
and teach literature that will develop students’ social skills. The team will
develop, present, and evaluate bibliotherapy lessons in an alternative
education setting. The team will ... more »

Chemistry,
earth science, and biology teachers at Saranac Lake High School will facilitate
classroom learning by using collaborative teaching techniques. Students,
teachers, and teaching assistants will form a learning atmosphere to promote
the gain of content knowledge ... more »

Mrs.
Conrad will implement a leveled literacy intervention, which is a research-based,
systematic reading program that will enhance Wahoo Public Schools' Title 1
program to accelerate reading proficiency. The intervention, which will be
introduced in the elementary ... more »

Ms.
Johnson and Mr. Radermacher will assist special needs students in becoming
involved in their Individualized Education Plans. Students in the program will
learn to identify and describe their personal disabilities through self
evaluation and be able to identify their ... more »

To
promote global thinking and strengthen students’ reading and writing skills,
Mrs. Heideman and Ms. Middendorf will instruct their students to read narrative,
nonfiction text based on young adults from a variety of geographic areas. Students
will build and ... more »

To
encourage students to meet Michigan Merit Curriculum standards in visual,
performing, and applied arts, Ms. Pontius and Mr. Budnick will outfit a lab for
industrial arts students at Posen Consolidated Schools. The educators will
assist students in choosing personal ... more »

Students
will enhance their understanding of math and social science concepts by
designing and fabricating ceramic tile quilts. The quilt murals will illustrate
local social, cultural, and natural history, and will also link local events to
social and cultural histories ... more »

Ms.
Corbett and Mrs. Rizzuto will lead an inquiry-based learning unit designed to
encourage the development of students’ critical thinking skills and science
content knowledge. Students will use these materials in conjunction with
science notebooks to construct ... more »

Creating Original
Opera
(COO) participants from two schools will work collaboratively throughout the
school year to create, produce, and perform original dramatic operatic works. Using
Skype cameras, web based portfolios, Promethean Board technology, artist
visits, and ... more »

Through iLove Math Again, Mrs. Pernice and Mrs.
Habermehl will introduce math centers in their classrooms that incorporate
technology through the use of iPads. Educators will focus on students’ levels
of engagement and interest to improve student achievement. ... more »

Mrs.
Mauntel and Mrs. Terwiske will teach their students to use algebraic equations
to program robots. Students will learn basic programming language via
calculations on TI calculators and will use that language to have their robots
perform a variety of tasks. As ... more »

Ms.
Flowers will lead a collaborative project between three high school teachers
and the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute (INDI) at Indiana
University--Purdue University Indianapolis. The proposed nanotechnology experience will include lectures, ... more »

Students
at Kualapuu School will learn about exploring for survival, discovery, and
adventure through a lesson on the history of the ancient Polynesian voyaging
that brought the first humans to the Hawaiian Islands. Students will document
the process of building scale ... more »

To
encourage student learning through the use of technology, Ms. Barreira and Ms.
Gasque will introduce e-readers to their classrooms. The devices will be used at all learning
levels, with particular focus on reluctant readers. The lead educators will
study the impact ... more »

Through
the STAR program, educators will meet
the needs of accelerated and gifted students. STAR will offer students assistance with developing higher level
thinking skills, accelerated pacing in math and foreign languages, and the
exploration and understanding of ... more »

Special
education teachers in the Adams 14 school district will utilize a research-based
math program to address math achievement gaps for at-risk elementary students
with identified disabilities. They will be trained in coaching to utilize the
core K-5 program and ... more »

Through
Imagine Mars, Mrs. Lake and Mr. Bond
will implement a design-based learning project to encourage students to actively
participate in problem solving through the backward thinking design process. The
project will integrate standards-based lessons in multiple ... more »

Turning the Key to
Literacy will
increase reading and writing proficiency by integrating technology into the
classroom. Ms. Farrens and a team of colleagues will use response clickers to
monitor and evaluate student responses to multiple choice questions. To
increase ... more »

Mrs. Graham and Mrs.
Montoya will introduce new lab learning opportunities to chemistry students at
Ontario High School. Through rigorous laboratory activities, students will
increase their understanding of core concepts through hands-on
instruction. Students will be ... more »

Ms. Wescott and Ms.
Goodwin will introduce Project
Math-I-Khan, a three-component, math intervention. The program will
incorporate mathematical differentiated learning to increase student skills and
understanding. Students will create math videos to be disseminated ... more »

Mrs.
Halstead will attend Columbia University's Teacher College Summer Writing Institute
to learn best strategies for implementation, including crucial structures and
routines that allow teachers to meet the differentiated needs of all student
writers. Mrs. Halstead ... more »

Educators
from Virginia and Illinois will collaborate to explore the educational uses of
the Tumblr microblogging platform. Ms. Ludwig and Ms. Richardson will use the
platform to create overviews, reviews, and document based questions. Additionally,
educators will ... more »

To
effectively meet the needs of learners with diverse abilities and backgrounds,
Mr. Jones will attend the Universal
Design for Learning: Reaching All Learners institute at Harvard University.
The program will prepare Mr. Jones to implement Universal Design for ... more »

Ms.
Hoover will travel to Belize to explore terrestrial, coastal, and coral reef
communities. While there, she will join researchers to learn about conservation
programs involving species including harpy eagles, jaguars, manatees, and
howler monkeys. Additionally, Ms. ... more »

University of North Texas, Denton, TX Higher Education, General Pedagogical Practice 2012, Winter

Dr.
Acuff will work with educators at a middle school in Columbus, Ohio in a
participatory action research project. The cohorts will assess and revise their
school curriculum based on reflections from the 2011-2012 academic year. Data
obtained from the research will ... more »

East Stroudsburg Area High School South, East Stroudsburg, PA Grades 9-12, General Pedagogical Practice 2012, Winter

To
improve the quality of education for ESL and Hispanic heritage students, Ms.
Rasely-Philipps and her colleagues will develop an academic group at school
that will foster personal and cultural connections as well as academic and
career choices. The group will study ... more »

To
improve technological proficiency among educators within the Southeast Local
School District, Mr. Farmakidis will share with colleagues a series of teaching
models which focus on integrating technological applications into teacher
pedagogies. Throughout the course of ... more »

Mr.
Fowler will attend the New and Aspiring
School Leaders program at Harvard University. Through the program, Mr. Fowler will gain new
tools, frameworks, leadership techniques, instructional practice techniques,
and ideas to more effectively build and sustain learning ... more »

Ms.
Lyons will attend the Reading and Writing
Project at the Columbia University Teachers College. Through the program, Ms. Lyons will deepen
her understanding of the implementation of effective reading workshops and the
integration of the Common Core Curriculum. The ... more »

Mr.
Applegate will read, "The Complete Learning
Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies and Activities for Teaching
Students with Learning Disabilities," and attend the Learning Disabilities
Association of America's annual conference in Chicago. Using the ... more »

Mr.
Cahn will take part in a year-long learning experience through the Mindful
Education Institute. Through the study,
Mr. Cahn will create student centered social and emotional learning curriculum
and staff development strategies grounded in research-based ... more »

Ms.
Swanson will embark on a six-week stay in Guatemala through Casa Xelaju’s
Spanish Immersion Program. Through the program, Ms. Swanson will further her
knowledge of Latin American culture and languages via experiences in schools,
site visits, and a home stay ... more »

To
provide quality writing instruction for students at Greenville Middle School,
Ms. Hedrick will attend a one-week internship at the Center for Teaching and
Learning during which she will observe, discuss, and reflect on the teaching
practices used by educators ... more »

Popular

What You’re Saying

“The problem is that education and schools are one of the major feeder systems into that [prison] pipeline, and we have the power to change it.” Marian Wright Edelman, Washington, DCPresident, Children’s Defense FundUNIONS & DISTRICTS RESOURCES

“Advancing the profession and helping educators increase student achievement is at the very core of what we do.”Crystal Brown, College Park, MDThe NEA Foundation Board Chair & Chief Communications Officer at University of MarylandBOARD OF DIRECTORS

“If you spend more in schools on the education of children who have fewer socioeconomic advantages, you do better as a country…That is what shot [other countries] up in the rankings.”Linda Darling Hammond, Stanford, CAC.E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of EducationUNIONS & DISTRICTS RESOURCES

“Every single time we have a play, I get to see a new part of me— a part that I didn’t know I could utilize.”Ramatu Fofanah, Annandale, VAAnnandale High school ELL student of NEA Foundation grantee Leslie ChekinSTUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GRANT

“The Promethean ActivBoard will only enhance the learning experience for my students... We can jump right online and conduct investigations, explore topics further in much greater detail. And it’s right at our fingertips.”Christopher Stone, Wallingford, CT2014 Awards for Teaching Excellence recipientAWARDS GALA

I approached the remainder of the [NEA Leadership Summit] with the lens of educator-led, student success, which I found to be very empowering.Joshua Quick, Aurora, CO French Teacher at Hinkley High SchoolONLINE COURSES

“They say, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ I think we can all agree that it takes the commitment of a very large, powerful, dedicated and loving village of educators to educate a child. “Phylicia Rashad, Tony Award-winning actressHost of the NEA Foundation's 2014 Awards GalaAWARDS GALA

“By supporting the development of a robotics curriculum, this grant…will make a difference in preparing our students for a STEM career.”Tony Svozil, Flossmoor, ILThe NEA Foundation Grantee and Honors Physics/Honors College Engineering Teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School Districts 233LEARNING & LEADERSHIP GRANTS

“... the evidence is clear that effective education policy and practice can more likely be achieved if the wisdom, experience and expertise of educators at the frontlines of practice is systematically brought to the table.”Harriet Sanford, Washington, DCPresident & CEO, The NEA FoundationSTAFF

“(This is what my teachers said to me:) DO NOT BE AFRAID. One day you will rise and I may be a distant memory. But for now, take your seat. Breathe. Breathe. Class is in session.” Blessed Sheriff, Award-winning poetStudent at Montgomery County (MD) Public SchoolsAWARDS GALA

“Exploring the cultures of students in your school will further serve as a microcosm of the global community itself.”Joshua Parker, Baltimore, MDCompliance specialist at Baltimore County Public Schools and Class of 2013 Global Learning FellowGLOBAL LEARNING FELLOWSHIP